I start with my first travel blunder. I checked by bus ticket yesterday evening prepping for my departure from Ouro Preto to Rio and noticed that the ticket reflected I wasn’t scheduled to leave until tomorrow, not today. Big oops. After a nervous hour waiting for the ticketing person to get back from his nice, long dinner break (1hr, 45min?), during that time, rushing to the hotel and picking up my stored backpack, convincing the desk clerk that I had already paid and wasn’t trying to skip out on my bill, and catching a taxi to the bus station, the ticketing clerk told me he could change my ticket but the only bus leaving tonight was to arrive at Rio at 4:30am. Ouch. So be it.
Here’s the thing with overnight buses. If you’re lucky, you get a bus that has cush seats. But of course, there have been bus rides – too many to count in my travels – that are not cush in the least bit. They’re complete nightmares that have included freezing cold, wet A/Cs, people trying to break into your luggage, which you have to try and sleep with in your tiny coffin compartment, and bathroom stops at the most horrific holes in the ground you can imagine. Believe me, you don’t want me to get descriptive on this one. Fortunately, in this case, the seats were cush. That’s great. However, I’ve noticed in countries that don’t necessarily have a lot of money for civic improvements or upkeep, roads are typically not so smooth, in fact, really bumpy in parts like you’re traveling over a gravel road (which I think we must have been). And the route last night was snakelike – big switchback turns through most of the route so that even with a neck pillow, your head and body are rolling from side to side and you’re making unspoken, intimate friendships with the person sitting next to you. Combine that with the potent smells of human foot odor, body odor, and gas. To top it off, I’m a light sleeper. It makes for a less-than-restful way to spend a night, but an entertaining story at parties.
The bus stopped about mid-trip at a large and pretty posh bus station/rest area. When we stopped at this same place coming from Rio to Ouro Preto a couple of nights ago, there were maybe two other buses there. This time when I stepped off the bus, there were a tremendous swarm of them, packed like sardines in a too small can. And hundreds of 18-22 year olds were running around, gesticulating wildly at each other or standing in clusters trying to impress each other or pose to show off their best assets. All the girls were dressed in their clubbing finest and the boys were in their jams and even running around without shirts. The women’s bathroom was crammed with girls primping and preening in the mirrors and chatting and laughing loudly. Keep in mind that this was at 2am. It… was… a scene – a scene of the highest degree. Yes, it looks like Carnaval has begun. And what have I gotten myself into??
Now I’m sitting at the Rio main bus terminal (rodoviaria) and both of the two floors are absolutely packed with people. Again, keep in mind it’s 5:45am as I write this. The party is already so big it’s spilled over into every corner.
I can’t imagine what my experience of Carnaval will be considering my beer bong days are long past me and my body is no longer that of a 22 year-old who can recover from a night of hard partying with a few hours rest and a strong cup of coffee, only to launch into another night of hard partying and being the cycle all over again. I’ll just keep my headspace open and see what comes. Hey, if it’s just not my thing, I’m happy to scrap it and head in another direction. This is the beauty of travel, yes? Fluidity and flexibility can be challenging while traveling, but it can also (and this is true the majority of time, I think) be incredibly liberating.
I have four hours to kill until I can check into my hostel. What to do?
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